Jack Harlan wiped the last of the goblin blood from his crowbar onto his torn work pants and looked at the four people now standing with him inside the loading bay. The air still smelled of sweat, fear, and that strange metallic tang the System seemed to leave behind after every kill. The blue boxes had gone quiet for a moment, but he could feel the timer ticking down in the back of his mind. Only twelve minutes left in the tutorial hour.
Sarah Kline leaned against a forklift, her pipe resting on her shoulder. The healing potion had closed the cut on her ribs, but she still looked pale. Carlos and Devin, the two young temps, were already dragging more crates toward the choke point they had built earlier. Paul Thompson, the older driver, counted the wrenches he had left like ammunition.
A new notification flashed in front of all of them at the same time, bright gold this time instead of the usual blue.
Tutorial Quest Update
Defend the Warehouse Location for the remaining time.
Hold the Line against the incoming horde.
Success grants Safe Zone status and permanent shelter bonus.
Failure results in loss of the location and possible death.
Time remaining until next wave: 9 minutes 47 seconds.
Jack read it twice. Safe Zone. That sounded like exactly what they needed. Four walls, a roof, and maybe a chance to breathe.
He turned to the group. "You all see that? We make this place our home right now or we run and probably die out there. I vote we fight."
Sarah nodded first. "I'm in. Better than the streets."
Carlos cracked his knuckles. "I've played enough games to know we need barricades. Let's stack everything."
Devin grinned nervously. "I'll take the high ground on the forklift if that's cool."
Paul just grunted and started heaving a heavy metal drum toward the entrance. "Old man still has some fight left."
They moved like people who had nothing left to lose. Jack directed them with quick words while his new passive skill, Glitch Perception, hummed faintly in the background of his thoughts. He could see tiny blue fractures in the air near the bay doors, weak points in the System's own rules for this building. Small things. A support beam that could be reinforced with almost no effort. A forklift battery that might power emergency lights if he nudged the right rule later.
He filed the information away and focused on the physical work. They piled pallets six feet high, wedged metal shelving between them, and left only a narrow zigzag path that would force attackers to come single file. Jack tested the barricade with his shoulder. It held solid.
Eight minutes.
The ground outside began to shake lightly. Green light flickered beyond the fence line. More rifts were opening, bigger ones this time. Jack could hear the chittering already, hundreds of high pitched voices mixing with the low growls of something larger.
"Positions," he said. "Sarah, stay behind me and watch for anyone who needs healing. Carlos and Devin, take the sides. Paul, you throw from the back like before. I'll hold the center."
They nodded. No arguments. The party window showed their levels clearly now.
Jack Harlan Level 5
Sarah Kline Level 3
Carlos Ramirez Level 2
Devin Park Level 2
Paul Thompson Level 3
Jack dumped his two free stat points into Vitality and Strength. He needed to be the tank here. The warmth spread through his muscles again, making him feel unbreakable for a moment.
The first goblins appeared at the far end of the parking lot. Not the small scouts from before. These were Level 5 and 6, armed with crude shields made from car doors and spears tipped with broken glass. Behind them lumbered two larger shapes. Goblin Brutes. Level 8 each. One carried a sledgehammer that looked like it had been ripped from a construction site.
The horde charged.
Jack stepped into the choke point, crowbar raised. The first goblin slammed against the barricade and tried to climb. Jack brought the weapon down in a crushing overhead strike. The shield splintered. The goblin dropped.
Experience gained flashed in the shared pool. The others cheered as their own bars filled.
Sarah swung her pipe at a goblin that squeezed through a gap. Devin stabbed from the forklift seat above. Carlos smashed knees with his sledgehammer. Paul's wrenches flew like deadly boomerangs, each one cracking against a skull or shoulder.
The fight turned into a rhythm. Swing, kill, loot notification, repeat. Jack's crowbar glowed brighter with every strike, the crimson energy from his class feeding off the violence. He spotted a Glitch in one of the Brute's hammers, a tiny fracture in its durability.
He lunged forward during a lull and tapped the hammer with the tip of his crowbar while whispering the thought of fracture in his mind. Not a full Rule Fracture. Just the passive nudging the weakness.
The hammer head cracked on the next swing the Brute took. It shattered against the barricade, leaving the creature stunned and unarmed.
Jack finished it with two quick strikes to the head.
Critical hit.
You have slain a Level 8 Goblin Brute.
Experience gained 380.
Loot obtained Heavy Goblin Hammer (Uncommon) and 25 copper coins.
The second Brute roared and charged the barricade full force. Wood and metal groaned. A section buckled.
"Push back," Jack yelled.
All five of them threw their weight against the pile. The barricade held, but barely. The Brute swung its fists instead, denting steel with every blow. Sarah darted in and smacked it across the jaw with her pipe. The creature staggered.
Jack saw the opening. He vaulted the top of the barricade, landed on the Brute's back, and drove the crowbar into the base of its neck. The monster thrashed once, twice, then collapsed.
The remaining goblins broke and ran, their morale shattered by the loss of their biggest fighters.
Jack dropped back inside the warehouse, breathing hard. Sweat stung his eyes. His arms burned, but the notifications were pure adrenaline.
Party wide level up announcements rolled in.
You are now Level 7.
All base stats increased by 1. Free Stat Points 3.
Sarah Kline has reached Level 5.
Carlos Ramirez has reached Level 4.
Devin Park has reached Level 4.
Paul Thompson has reached Level 5.
The tutorial timer hit zero with a soft chime that echoed in every head on the planet.
Tutorial Phase 1 complete.
Integration Phase 2 begins in 60 minutes.
Safe Zone established at current location.
Warehouse now classified as Temporary Shelter.
All party members receive Shelter Bonus. Health regeneration inside zone increased by 300 percent. No monster spawns within 50 meters for 24 hours.
A new map icon appeared in the corner of Jack's vision. A small blue house symbol labeled "Harlan Logistics Safe Zone."
He let out a long breath and leaned against the barricade. The others laughed and clapped each other on the back, the sound raw and relieved. Sarah hugged Devin quickly, then stepped back embarrassed. Carlos punched the air. Paul actually smiled for the first time.
Jack opened the party chat window that had unlocked and typed a quick message so everyone could see it.
We did it. This place is ours now. Loot everything useful. Rest while we can. Phase 2 sounds like it's going to be worse.
He looked out through the narrow gap in the barricade. The parking lot was littered with goblin corpses. Beyond that, Chicago still burned in places. Sirens had mostly stopped. The sky had taken on a faint greenish tint, like mana itself was leaking into the air.
His Glitch Perception pinged again, showing him faint fractures in the clouds far above the city. Something big was coming later. Not tonight, but soon.
Jack gripped the crowbar tighter. The weapon felt like an extension of his arm now, part tool, part legend in the making.
The warehouse was home. For however long they could hold it.
But the System had only just started its game.
And Jack Harlan was already planning how to break the next rule before it broke them.